About

Tushar Ghosh received his doctoral degree in Fiber and Polymer Science from North Carolina State University in 1987. Since then, he has been a faculty member at NC State University, currently holding the position of William A. Klopman Distinguished Professor of Textiles at the Wilson College of Textiles. His research activities are devoted to the technologies of fabric formation, mechanics of fiber assemblies and their characterization, and fiber-based structures for adaptive and responsive textiles. His current interests include the fabrication of sensors and actuators involving polymer nanocomposites, electroactive polymers, artificial muscle, and biomimetic systems. Professor Ghosh has contributed significantly to the field through his teaching of various technology courses at both graduate and undergraduate levels, including weaving technology, functional textiles, and characterization of textile materials. He has served as a consultant to numerous public institutions and industries on textile technologies and product performance. His scholarly output includes several book chapters, monographs, over 100 journal articles, and more than 150 conference presentations. Recognized for his outstanding contributions, he has been named Outstanding Teacher of the Year, selected for the Circle of Excellence by the National Textile Center, and received the Fiber Society’s Founders Award in 2007 for his contributions to the science and technology of fibrous materials.

Research topics

• Computer Science
• Materials science
• Composite material
• Artificial Intelligence
• Nanotechnology
• Electrical engineering
• Environmental science
• Embedded system
• Ecology
• Engineering
• Optoelectronics
• Mechanical engineering
• Mechanics
• Simulation
• Architectural engineering

Selected publications

• Polaron Conductivity in $α$-Fe2O3 Quenched by Adsorbed NO2

  arXiv (Cornell University) · 2026-04-29

  preprintOpen access1st authorCorresponding

  Polaron-mediated charge transport in α-Fe2O3 plays a central role in its performance as a gas-sensing material, yet the atomistic interaction between surface adsorbates and polarons remains insufficiently understood. Here, density functional theory with Hubbard-U correction (DFT+U) combined with nudged elastic band calculations is used to investigate polaron formation, migration, and quenching at the Fe-terminated α-Fe2O3 (0001) surface. The calculated activation energy for small-polaron hopping in bulk α-Fe2O3 is found to be 0.12 eV, in excellent agreement with experimental measurements, confirming the validity of the computational approach. Slab calculations show that migration of the polaron from bulk to the surface lowers the energy by 0.12 eV, indicating preferential localization of charge carriers at the gas-solid interface. Adsorption of NO2 induces substantial electron transfer (0.72 e-) from the oxide to the molecule, eliminating the localized Fe2+ polaron state and thereby suppressing polaronic conductivity. These results provide a direct microscopic explanation for the resistance increase of hematite-based sensors upon exposure to oxidizing gases. More broadly, the study establishes how surface adsorption can modulate charge transport α-Fe2O3 through control of polaron populations, offering design principles for improved iron oxide gas sensors.

  PublisherDOI

• Waste-derived chitosan-functionalized poultry litter biochar as a sustainable adsorbent for congo red removal from wastewater

  Next Materials · 2026-05-01

  articleOpen accessSenior author
  PublisherDOI

• Polaron Conductivity in $α$-Fe2O3 Quenched by Adsorbed NO2

  arXiv (Cornell University) · 2026-04-29

  articleOpen access1st authorCorresponding

  Polaron-mediated charge transport in α-Fe2O3 plays a central role in its performance as a gas-sensing material, yet the atomistic interaction between surface adsorbates and polarons remains insufficiently understood. Here, density functional theory with Hubbard-U correction (DFT+U) combined with nudged elastic band calculations is used to investigate polaron formation, migration, and quenching at the Fe-terminated α-Fe2O3 (0001) surface. The calculated activation energy for small-polaron hopping in bulk α-Fe2O3 is found to be 0.12 eV, in excellent agreement with experimental measurements, confirming the validity of the computational approach. Slab calculations show that migration of the polaron from bulk to the surface lowers the energy by 0.12 eV, indicating preferential localization of charge carriers at the gas-solid interface. Adsorption of NO2 induces substantial electron transfer (0.72 e-) from the oxide to the molecule, eliminating the localized Fe2+ polaron state and thereby suppressing polaronic conductivity. These results provide a direct microscopic explanation for the resistance increase of hematite-based sensors upon exposure to oxidizing gases. More broadly, the study establishes how surface adsorption can modulate charge transport α-Fe2O3 through control of polaron populations, offering design principles for improved iron oxide gas sensors.

  PublisherOA PDF

• Extrusion of Heterogeneous Filament‐like Structures: A New Paradigm in Fabricating Soft Mechanical Gradient with Long Span

  Small Science · 2025-05-20

  articleOpen accessSenior authorCorresponding

  Soft-to-hard material interfaces found in multimaterial systems, such as microelectronics, prosthetics, body armor, and soft robotics, often suffer from mechanical mismatches that compromise their structural integrity overtime. These mismatches occur due to significant differences in mechanical properties, such as stiffness, between soft materials (e.g., polymers and biological tissues) and hard materials (e.g., metals and ceramics). In this study, an extrusion-based approach is presented to fabricate continuous stiffness gradient materials using polydimethylsiloxane and thermoplastic expandable microspheres (EM). Morphological characterization shows the intended distribution of EM content along the length of the filament and the corresponding variation in tensile and bending stiffness. The gradient mechanical properties can be tuned by varying the EM expansion temperature. Compared to traditional fabrication techniques, this method allows for precise control over gradient magnitude and span, even post-fabrication, offering greater flexibility for various applications. This work demonstrates a scalable and efficient solution for mitigating the mechanical mismatch at soft-hard material junctions, offering the potential for advanced material design in both industrial and biomedical applications.

  PublisherOA PDFDOI

• Measurement of radiative decay width of the Hoyle state of 12C via 12C(p, p′)12C reaction

  Nuclear Physics A · 2025-05-01

  article
  PublisherDOI

• Elastomer-Based Soft Syntactic Foam with Broadly Tunable Mechanical Properties and Shapability

  SSRN Electronic Journal · 2024-01-01

  preprintOpen access1st authorCorresponding
  PublisherDOI

• The FRENA accelerator and its beam energy calibration

  Nuclear Instruments and Methods in Physics Research Section A Accelerators Spectrometers Detectors and Associated Equipment · 2024-12-20 · 1 citations

  articleSenior author
  PublisherDOI

• Elastomer-based soft syntactic foam with broadly tunable mechanical properties and shapability

  Composites Part B Engineering · 2024-08-28 · 4 citations

  articleSenior authorCorresponding
  PublisherDOI

• New measurement of the Hoyle state radiative transition width

  Physics Letters B · 2024-10-18 · 4 citations

  articleOpen access

  The radiative decay of the Hoyle state serves as the gateway to the production of heavier elements in a stellar environment. Here, we present an exclusive measurement of electric quadruple (E2) transitions of the Hoyle state to the ground state of 12 C through the 12 C(p, p′ γγ ) 12 C reaction. A triple coincidence measurement yields the radiative branching ratio Γ r a d /Γ = 4.01 (30) × 10 −4 . This result was corroborated by an independent experiment based on the complete kinematical measurement via 12 C(p, p′) 12 C reaction, yielding a consistent result of Γ r a d /Γ = 4.04 (30) × 10 −4 . Combining our results with the currently adopted values of Γ π ( E 0 ) / Γ and Γ π ( E 0 ) , the radiative width of the Hoyle state is determined to be 3.75 (40) × 10 −3 eV. It is important to note that our finding do not align with a recently reported 34% increase in the radiative decay width of the Hoyle state but is consistent with the currently accepted value.

  PublisherDOI

• Moisture‐Driven Cellulose Actuators with Directional Motion and Programmable Shapes

  Advanced Intelligent Systems · 2024-02-19 · 19 citations

  articleOpen accessSenior authorCorresponding

  The hygroscopic motion of plants has inspired the development of moisture‐activated soft actuators. These actuators driven by ambient moisture sources are of great research interest in robotics and self‐regulating textiles. However, these actuators often have slow motion and can only perform bending and twisting motions. Herein, a cellulose film‐based fast‐morphing and motion‐programmable soft actuator is presented that can generate caterpillar‐like movement. The cellophane films reported here bend almost instantaneously under changing humidity, with a large bending curvature, high repeatability, and negligible hysteresis. Different actuation modes are studied using both coated and uncoated cellophane films. The uncoated cellophane film can continuously move on a moist substrate through autonomous bending–rolling–flipping (or oscillating) cycles. A facile strategy is used here to control the rolling direction and facilitate the flipping motion by offsetting its center of gravity during deformation by adding appropriate weights on the end of the actuator. The coated cellophane film is used to fabricate motion‐programmable actuators through heat‐laminating. Several actuator structures are designed and fabricated and their diverse moisture‐induced motions are demonstrated.

  PublisherOA PDFDOI

Recent grants

• GOALI: Design, Characterization and Processing of Carbon Nanofiber-Modified PVC as Fabric Sensor Composites for E-Textiles

  NSF · $380k · 2007–2011

Frequent coauthors

• F. J. M. Geurts

  40 shared

• Kony Chatterjee

  38 shared

• Dabir S. Viswanath

  37 shared

• T. Peitzmann

  National Institute for Subatomic Physics

  36 shared

• F. Plasil

  34 shared

• R. Santo

  33 shared

• M. S. Ganti

  33 shared

• S. Fokin

  33 shared

Labs

• Research Lab at Wilson College of TextilesPI

Education

• Ph.D., Fiber and Polymer Science

  North Carolina State University

  1987

Awards & honors

• Outstanding Teacher of the Year
• Circle of Excellence by the National Textile Center
• Fiber Society’s Founders Award (2007)